


Some Assembly Required

by bizarrebird



Series: Put it All Together [1]
Category: Walking Dead, Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Developing Relationship, F/M, M/M, OT3, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-03-29
Updated: 2013-04-14
Packaged: 2017-12-06 22:10:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 17,977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/740696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bizarrebird/pseuds/bizarrebird
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Families don't come with an instruction manual. They've just got to figure it out as they go.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Holding On

**Author's Note:**

> Canon Divergence verging on AU as of Suicide King. Events from later episodes have been worked in, but I was kind of writing this on the spur of the moment, so there's some pretty big deviations later. Warning, this is going to be a long one. First of three, hopefully.

It didn’t take a genius to see that they’re falling apart, had been for a while now. Glenn and Maggie barely able to stay in the same room with each other, Daryl gone with his dick of a brother, Rick screaming and raving as he chased off ghosts and the only chance at help they’d had in some time. If they kept going like this, they wouldn’t last long in the prison or anywhere else.

They watched as the newcomers flee, Hershel cursed his crutches, wanting to go after them as soon as they’d left, but damn those stairs. Carol’s fingers itched even as she held onto Carl’s small, shaking shoulders. She had seen children frightened by their fathers far too many times. As Rick finally drew quiet, eyes wide, fearful, she couldn’t decide whether she wanted to hold him or hit him.

“Dad…” Carl’s voice was soft, too young, so different from the way he had begun to grow.

Seeming not to notice, Rick staggered back a few steps, gaze on something above them no one else could see. He shook his head frantically once, twice more before turning on his heel and practically sprinting into the depths of the prison, ignoring the looks following him and the way more than a few hands reached out to him, wanting to pull him back. 

As the clang of the door behind him faded, lost eyes looked at each other. Silence hung heavy in the air around them. Turning slightly, Carol met Hershel’s eyes, the old man shrugging a little helplessly. This was not the time for the rest of them to fall apart. Steeling herself, she gave Carl’s shoulders a slight squeeze. “Sweetie, how ‘bout you stay with Beth and your sister a while, alright?” she asked, voice still soft, not quite ready to break the quiet completely.

A beat passed as Carl stared after his father, but he managed to give Carol a firm nod. Ducking a bit, she pressed a kiss to his cheek, hand lingering a little on his back even as she gave him a slight push to get going. She glanced at Glenn, the young man still posed awkwardly at the door where he had ushered the strangers out. He looked about as shaken as she felt. Besides Carl, they had known Rick the longest, to see him lose it so completely like he had…

Not letting the thoughts linger another moment, she moved to Hershel’s side. Eyes flicking back to the door, she bit at her lip. “Should we stop them?”

The old man let out a breath. “Not sure they’d come back after that… I’ll have Axel get them some supplies, try and catch them before they’re gone,” he said with a slight nod. His eyes traveled to her face, lingering there for a moment before he spoke again. “And Rick?”

Crossing her arms over her chest to hug herself, Carol glanced the way their leader had run. She remembered hearing Maggie and Glenn talk about how crazed Rick had been when the latter went after him before. Still, he would need someone, now more than ever. “I’ll go. There shouldn’t be too many the way he went…” He had seen to that the last time.

She could tell by the look on Hershel’s face that he didn’t like the idea, but he simply gave her a grudging nod. “If you’re gone too long, I’ll send Maggie along to check up on you.” It was a fact rather than an offer, so she let her eyes crinkle a little with her smile as she nodded.

Hershel gave her another long look before turning away and hobbling towards the ex-con. Maybe he’d be able to get Tyreese’s group to pause long enough to get a word in. Carol decided to leave it to him. Turning on her heel, she paused only to grab a handgun and make sure it was loaded before heading off down the dark, forbidding hallway.

They had managed to get a few lights on here and there, and there was the slightest bit of daylight flooding in from high, small windows, but the corridors seemed far too fond of their shadows. The small flashlight at her hip called out to her, but she knew the batteries would only last for so long. Better to save them for when she would need them most. Carol moved quietly, straining her ears for Rick, or the shuffling steps of anything else. Both fortunately and unfortunately, she heard neither. In the time they had been there, the group had scouted out the nearby parts of the prison thoroughly, almost trying to map it out. 

Not for the first time, she wished Daryl was there. Though she had picked up a thing or two, Carol’s tracking skills were nothing compared to his. He should be the one here to pull Rick out of… whatever it was he was going through. They had become close over the long winter months, possibly closer than Rick had been with Shane. Carol tried to shift those thoughts away with a slight shake of her head. Daryl had his reasons for leaving, it was up to the rest of them to fill his shoes as he had done before.

A soft noise made her freeze, one hand tense on her knife, the other pressed to the wall, for once glad of the shadows she could lurk in. Letting her eyes slide shut, Carol listened intently. Whatever it was, it was close. Carol took a breath and opened her eyes, scanning the area again before she started moving, careful to keep her own steps as quiet as possible. Rounding a corner, the noise seemed to grow slightly louder. Footsteps, it sounded like just the one pair, though she still couldn’t tell who they belonged to. If it was a walker, it seemed to be just one scattered from the pack they had still yet to thin out, shouldn’t be too hard to handle. If it was Rick… well that was another matter entirely. 

The gun felt heavy at her hip as she pressed on, fingers itching for something with more punch than her knife. Of course, more walkers was the last thing any of them needed right now and hearing gun shots would make the rest of them panic.

Suddenly, the footsteps seemed to stop dead, prompting Carol to do so as well. Damn, they were so close too. Come on, something, anything. Her silent wish was answered when an all too familiar voice started speaking. Carol couldn’t pick out the words, but the tone made her start off again, faster this time, she could practically hear the hysteria building. 

Rick’s voice was nearly shouting by the time she reached the door to the boiler room. Letting out a breath, Carol’s hand hovered over the doorknob, steeling herself for a moment before turning it as quietly as possible, glancing up and down the hallway. If she had followed Rick’s voice it didn’t take a genius to figure out other things could too. She pushed the door open, more than a little relieved to find it wasn’t blocked.

Pausing just inside, she debated calling out to him, not sure he would even hear over his ranting and raving. Carol shut the door behind her and, with a bit of hesitation, sheathed her knife. Didn’t need him thinking she was about to attack. At this point, she didn’t even want to take a chance on anything that might set him off. Slowly, she drew closer, rounding the small corner to peer around at him. Rick seemed to be yelling at the bloated body of a walker. He kept taking shaky steps towards it then away again, hands raking through his hair. She couldn’t tell if he was closer to screaming or sobbing. Maybe both.

“Rick?” Her voice was softer than she’d meant it to be. Okay, so maybe she was a little unsettled, but she was doing her best damn it.

The former Sheriff grew silent, but that was the only sign he had heard her, his back still towards the door, eyes locked on something she couldn’t see. Letting out another slow breath, Carol cautiously approached, stopping about a foot away, one hand in the air, not quite sure if she should reach out to him or not.

“Rick, can you hear me?”

He gave no indication that he could, hands clenching and unclenching at his sides as he stared at the empty space above the walker. Carol inched closer, slowly resting her hand on his arm. She opened her mouth to speak, but he beat her to it.

“You don’t see her, do you?” Rick’s voice was soft, shaky, the slight rasp to it making his shouting before even more evident.

It took her less than a second to guess who he meant. Carol glanced towards the blood covered body; it was the only other thing in the room. He didn’t wait for her to respond. “Why… why is she here? This shouldn’t… I don’t.” Slowly he turned to look at her. “She’s gone… she shouldn’t, it shouldn’t have been—should’ve been me.”

Carol could actually feel her heart break for him. Stepping closer, she reached up, resting a hand on his cheek as she wrapped her other arm around his waist, trying to offer what little comfort she could. She wanted to deny it, say he was wrong, but she knew better than anyone that simple words couldn’t change how he felt. He didn’t return the embrace, arms remaining limp at his sides, but he leant into her touch, eyes slipping shut.

“She wouldn’t want this, Rick,” Carol said softly. “Wouldn’t want you punishing yourself. There was nothing anyone could’ve done.” She wanted to tell him it was alright, but it wasn’t, it would never be. What Rick was going through, there weren’t easy fixes, there didn’t seem to be anything that was easy anymore.

At her words Rick seemed to crumble. He slumped letting his head fall to rest on her shoulder, hands moving up to curl into the fabric of her shirt. Carol didn’t think he was crying, but there was a slight shake to his shoulders. Saying nothing more, she wrapped her skinny arms more tightly around him, running one hand gently up and down his back. After a moment, she found her voice. “Is she still there?” 

She felt Rick nod shakily against her shoulder. Pulling back a little, Carol reached up to cup his face again. “Then how about you and me get out of here? Give her some space?”

Rick met her eyes for a moment before glancing beyond her. After a pause that seemed to stretch on forever, he nodded. With a breath of relief, Carol took his hand and gently tugged him from the room with soft, kind words to move him along. 

With all that had happened, she couldn’t blame him for any bit of it. Still, someone had to start picking up the pieces.


	2. Barely Breathing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just for the record, this was written before Home, so this officially marks the start of canon divergence.

About a week later, Rick was only slightly better than he had been, just a few steps above catatonia, but there had been no further outbursts. Hershel had convinced Tyreese and his group to stay, offering them another cell block and a share of the remaining supplies. Not wanting to be a burden, Tyreese and his sister, Sasha, had volunteered to assist with supply runs and guard duty, and with three of their number down, they were in no position to refuse.

Carol, Carl, and a finally back on her feet Michonne had gone on a supply run, leaving Maggie and Tyreese on guard duty when an old beat up truck roared up to the gates, gunfire coming out the front window, mowing down the walkers the truck itself had missed. “Open up, goddamn it,” yelled an unfortunately familiar voice as Maggie sprinted to the front gates.

She glared daggers at the smirking face she found leering at her from the driver’s seat. “Well, if it ain’t the farmer’s daughter. This your new boy? Guess he’s bigger ‘n the chink,” Merle noted, giving Tyreese a once over. 

Glancing at Maggie, Tyreese didn’t seem to be quite sure whether to go for his gun or not. He was leaning towards grabbing it if the way his fingers twitched were any indication. “You know this guy?” 

“Wish I didn’t.” Maggie didn’t keep her voice down.

A mock pout crossed the hick’s face. “Now that hurts, darlin’. I ain’t never done nothin’ t’you.”

“What’re you doin’ here?” Hefting her gun, Maggie took aim for Merle’s face. He had pulled up side long with the gates and rolled the window down, so she had a clear shot. “Give me one reason I shouldn’t blow you away right now?”

Merle’s remaining hand seemed to tense on the steering wheel. “Could use a hand, ‘f you don’t mind the joke.”

“What the hell would I help you with?” She was pulling any punches with this freak. There was no sign Daryl was in the passenger’s seat or sitting up in back. If he was there, he would’ve said something by now. 

Jerking a thumb to the back seat, Merle’s expression took on an odd quality, something in his eyes that had never been there before. “Li’l brother got himself pretty fucked up. Figured you could give us a hand. Think blondie said your old man was a doctor way back… Thought he could stitch him up. Now, you wanna let us in or does Darlina get to keep bleedin’ all over the truck?” 

Maggie couldn’t stop her eyes from widening. “What happened?”

"This really the time for chit chat?” Merle seemed agitated, hand twitching, something in his eyes a little desperate.

Feeling Tyreese’s eyes on her, Maggie stared in silence for a second. She didn’t trust Merle in the slightest, but… he seemed almost worried, a hint of a human being behind the monster. She let out a breath. “Open the gate, just the one,” she added, eyes flicking to Tyreese. “Your truck and weapons stay here. If Daryl’s hurt, we’ll bring him in. Just him.”

Some of the tension seemed to ease out of Merle’s shoulders, though that was the only reaction he showed. “Then let’s get this sucker movin’.” 

Maggie laid down cover fire as Tyreese opened the gate and closed it as quickly as Merle had driven inside. She kept her gun aimed at the man’s face as she gave a slight nod to Tyreese. “Help him get Daryl out.” 

To her slight surprise, Merle hadn’t been lying. He was strangely quiet and made no complaint when Tyreese went to help him, offering only a slight mutter to be careful as he opened the back door. As the pair hauled Daryl out, Maggie almost dropped her gun. His chest was bare and covered in his own blood. What looked like several shirts were strapped to him with belts and duct tape, every single one stained red. There was a large gash on his forehead, blood trickling down the side of his far too pale face. Daryl didn’t seem to be conscious until the slightest expression appeared when his left leg touched the ground. Blue eyes opened halfway, but they were strangely blank.

“Easy, easy.” Maggie didn’t think Merle’s voice could sound like that, so soft… almost kind. “Watch his side. ‘s alright, Daryl, gonna get’cha patched up, y’hear?” 

“What happened?” She couldn’t stop the question from slipping out again as Tyreese and Merle each took an arm over their shoulders. 

“Gov’ner’s men caught up with us ‘fore they got here, I guess. Dumbass tried to lead ‘em away, keep ‘em distracted for me.” Merle didn’t seem to want to look at his brother as he spoke. “Dunno if tiny here can get him up there on his own. I won’t touch nothin’,” he added, noting the dubious look that Tyreese and Maggie shared.

Weighing it for only a moment, Maggie nodded and moved to open the second gate. The two men carried the third between them up the hill as quickly as they could as she ran ahead, yelling for her father. Hershel had been in the yard with Beth and Judith, so he met them at the gate, obvious confusion on his face. 

“You the doc?” Merle’s voice was desperate as Maggie pulled the gate open. Judith’s cries answered him before Hershel could. Giving her a slight jiggle, Beth tried to quiet her, her own eyes wide and fixed on Daryl. 

Hershel nodded as he hobbled over, analyzing eyes flicking over the limp form between them. “Bitten?”

The older redneck shook his head as he and Tyreese moved to follow the old man inside. “Shot, four times, maybe five. Tried to get one’a the damn things out himself. Banged his head on a rock fallin’ out of a tree.” 

“How long has he been out?” Maggie moved to open the door for them and Hershel lifted one crutch to point them to an empty cell. The two men moved quickly and set Daryl down as carefully as possible. Merle’s eyes stayed on his brother as Tyreese moved to grab a chair for Hershel.

“A while, couple hours, keeps goin’ in an’ out. Can’t get more ‘n a word or two out of him ‘fore he passes out again…” The older hick picked at the metal casing over his stump of an arm, brow heavily furrowed as Maggie moved to set her father’s supplies down next to him. 

Hershel moved surprisingly fast as he examined the wounds under the makeshift bandages. As Merle had said, there were four holes in his chest and shoulder and one in his left leg. One looked noticeably bigger than the others, it seemed to still be bleeding the worst, at least two of the others had almost stopped, but he was so pale…

“How long ago was he shot?” Hershel glanced up from his examination of the bullet holes. Merle shrugged, leaning against the wall of the cell, eyes fixed on his brother’s face.

“Some time yesterday, been drivin’ all night. Tried t’stop the bleedin’…” 

Hershel gave a slight nod of approval as he pressed two fingers to Daryl’s neck, feeling his faint, fluttering pulse. “Good thing you did. He’s lucky to have made it this long. Do you know his blood type?” 

Frown growing a little, Merle shook his head. “Nah… never really went to hospitals much, dunno what mine is either.”

Glancing sideways, Hershel looked first at Merle, then at Maggie for confirmation. “You’re his brother, aren’t you? There’s a chance you may have compatible blood types. He’s lost quite a bit of blood already, if I’m going to remove the bullets, it’s likely he’ll need a transfusion.” 

Eyes flicking to Daryl’s face, Merle nodded and gripped the inside of one elbow. “Well, doc, y’can tap me like a maple tree whenever you want.” He glanced at Maggie and smirked. “Sooner might be better, your girl don’t like me much.” 

Pointedly ignoring his comments, Hershel nodded. “Maggie, take as much as you can safely. I’ll see what I can do without it, but if things get worse…”

Even as her father trailed off, Maggie already moved to grab the necessary equipment. She spared Merle a quick glare. “Cell next door, now. Don’t touch anythin’, don’t talk to anyone. Go.” Not even bothering to hear if he had a witty retort, she turned to Tyreese. “We’ve got it from here, think you can get Sasha to go back on watch with you?”

“Got it covered, just keep this one from going,” he said with a nod at Daryl. “We could use more fire power.” There was a look on Tyreese’s face, clearly wanting an explanation for the sudden appearance of two rednecks covered in blood and dirt, but this was not the time. With a nod to Hershel, he left the cell block, gun hefted over one shoulder. 

“C’mon.” Merle, surprisingly, followed without a fight and only made three inappropriate comments as Maggie drew his blood. He seemed a bit more reserved afterwards, of course, part of that may have been due to how much blood she took, technically a bit more than she should have, but he would probably be fine. The guy had lived through cutting off his own hand, losing a bit more blood shouldn’t be an issue.

She still locked him in the cell once she was done. Just to be safe. 

The only reason she hadn’t kicked him out of the prison was out of a favor to Daryl. Plus, Glenn was on Rick watch in another part of the prison, Rick kept finding his way to that damn boiler room, so neither of them were around to politely kick Merle’s ass and force him to leave.

It took several hours to get Daryl patched up. Two bullets had gone clean through, but had missed anything too important, thankfully. The one in his leg was the deepest; it seemed the other two had most likely hit something before they found their way into the redneck. Daryl was in and out of consciousness through most of it, luckily he was primarily out, so Maggie only had to restrain him once. He needed all the blood they had taken and, thank God, didn’t seem to be rejecting what Merle had supplied. Finishing up the last of the stitches, Hershel grabbed a rag and wiped the sweat from his brow. 

“That’s all I can do for the moment. If he makes it through the night, he should recover. It’ll be a while before he can walk on that leg again, best we find another pair of crutches, knowing that one,” he said, something almost fond in his voice as he glanced at Daryl’s pained expression. “There may be some head trauma if what Merle said is true, but we can’t know that till he’s up.”

Maggie nodded slowly. She hadn’t known quite what to think when Daryl left. They had all grown close over the last eight months, seeing him head off with Merle was almost physically painful. Though… getting him back like this wasn’t much better. “What do we tell Rick and Glenn… and the others when they get back?” One other in particular.

Taking up his crutches again, Hershel offered a slight shrug. “The truth? We’ll have to leave it them how they take it.” He paused, eyes flicking to the wall separating the cells. “Perhaps you ought to head off Glenn and Rick, give them some warning before they find our visitor?”

“Right.” Returning to find Merle without any warning probably wouldn’t end well for at least one of them. If she had any say in the matter, it would be Merle, but she had a feeling that would lead to other problems down the line. With a soft sigh, Maggie moved to the side of the bed, leaning down to press a kiss to the skin just below the bandage wrapped around Daryl’s head.

For better or for worse, he was back, another piece of their family. They had made room for new pieces before, but Merle just might not fit. For now, all they could do was wait and see. 


	3. Beside You

Wisely, Merle made himself quiet and very scarce, heading off to the uncharted parts of the prison as soon as he was steady on his feet. He said he wanted to blow off steam, take down a few biters, said fighting cleared his head. No one was opposed to the idea, except Daryl maybe, but he was unconscious, so his opinion didn’t really count. Merle had spent a long moment staring at his baby brother before heading off, taking only the single knife that was offered to him, said it was all he’d need. Glenn was sure he could make do with less, but Merle was already off, door clanging shut behind him.

Rick had elected not to see Merle and didn’t seem to believe Daryl was actually there. The way his eyes had gone wide and he’d started muttering certainly weren’t promising, but Glenn at least managed to steer him into a cell rather than let him run off again. Hershel chose to sit with their leader for some time, trying to offer what comfort he could, which is why the first people Daryl saw when he came to were Beth and Judith. 

He was awake for a few moments before he opened his eyes, ears trying to decipher what was being said next to him. Something about a beat up idiot looking sweet when he was asleep. Didn’t make a lick of sense to him, and it sure didn’t sound like Merle. Quite a few things seemed to hurt, but less than they had before. His nose itched, but his limbs felt far too heavy to do anything about it. Slowly, blue eyes blinked open, fixing on a fuzzy blonde shape next to him.

“Where am I?” he asked, or tried to. His tongue didn’t quite seem to want to cooperate, so it came out more: “Were’m’a?” It was also quieter than he had meant it, so Beth barely heard it, looking up in surprise. 

A soft smile crossed her face as Daryl got his eyes to focus. “See, baby, told ya he wasn’t dead,” she said to the small bundle of something in her arms that only gurgled in response. 

Blinking, Daryl worked to get his spinning head to figure out what was happening. “Beth?” he finally managed, actually getting the word out this time. He shifted a little, trying to lift himself up on his elbows. This turned out to be a bad idea as additional, sharper pain suddenly shot through him, nearly forcing him back down, head starting to spin.

A small, gentle hand landed on his shoulder, easing him back down. “Take it easy. Don’t need you passin’ out again.” Adjusting Judith a little with her other arm, Beth sat on the edge of his bed. “Y’know, I thought about it, figured I’d have to slap you at least once when you came back. Guess I don’t really have to now.” 

Daryl’s brow furrowed in confusion. A lot of things she was saying didn’t make any sense. “Came back? What… How’m I back? Where’s Merle?” It was almost a good thing he was so drained, there wasn’t room yet for him to feel anxious. 

Beth sighed a little and tilted her head to one side. “Don’t remember, huh? He brought you here, he’s off killin’ walkers now,” she added, noting the sudden flash of concern that pass over his face. “Said he’d be back later. You got hurt pretty bad out there, he said some guys from that town… dunno what it’s called, they came after him and shot you instead.” 

Now that sounded sort of familiar. The last… day maybe, Daryl wasn’t sure quite how long, seemed to be kind of a blur. They had been in the woods, heard something weird, saw some guys Merle used to know. What had they done… Something… He had told Merle there were too many, but he’d tried to take them on anyway. Then… he’d gone up a tree, tried to distract them, pick them off, but they found him. That much he remembered, then pain, a lot of it, and then he’d been on the ground and everything had gone dark. 

Something important seemed to occur to him. Daryl shook his head a little. “Didn’t tell him… never told him how to get here.”

“I know.” Her smile changed a little, it was nicer now when she looked at him. “He’s been in the area longer… someone else just told him about the prison. You never would.”

A soft gurgle caught her attention, Beth’s gaze moving back to the bundle in her arms. She gave Judith a little bounce, making her laugh. There wasn’t quite a smile on Daryl’s face, but his eyes crinkled a little. “Got Li’l Asskicker, too? She… probably doesn’t remember me, huh?” 

Beth glanced at him, then back at Judith. “Maybe… I think she might, hard to tell. I’d let you hold her… but you’re not supposed to be up yet. Dad didn’t think you’d even wake up till tomorrow.” 

“Show’s what he knows. Ain’t nothin’ keepin’ me down,” Daryl said with joking defiance, but his voice was far too tired sounding for it to be at all believable. That didn’t stop him from trying to sit up again, and succeeding this time.

“Careful,” Beth warned. Concern wiped the smile off her face. Shifting, she moved to sit next to him, switching Judith to her other side, so she could support him, one arm resting on his back. “Don’t need you tearin’ your stitches.” 

He waved her off, though he leaned into her side more than he would ever acknowledge. “’m fine. Layin’ around ain’t gonna do much good.” Glancing down at himself, he suddenly became aware of something he probably should have noticed before. “Not wearin’ a shirt…”

“I can see that.” Beth had a laugh in her voice, but she had pointedly been avoiding looking at his bare chest. There wasn’t really much to see at the moment though, bandages covered most of his left side and the lower half of his right, leaving only a fraction of his scarred skin visible. It still made him feel more than a little uncomfortable, because of course there was enough room in there for that in his messed up jumble of thoughts. Daryl suddenly found himself wanting to flinch away, to get as far away from everyone as possible. However, his injuries forced him to stay put. 

A soft coo pulled him from his uncomfortable reverie, blue eyes pulled to the tiny baby in Beth’s arms. Smile crossing his face absently, he reached over to gently take one of Judith’s hands. “Hey, sweetheart, miss me?” 

Judith gurgled enthusiastically and grabbed onto his fingers, tiny grip surprisingly strong. A light weight rested softly on his right shoulder as Beth leaned against him, shifting so Judith was closer to him. “Seems like a yes to me. So, think Rick will let the rest of us be aunts and uncles? Wouldn’t mind bein’ Auntie Beth…”

“Dunno ‘f Rick’ll even wanna see me.” His smile faded a little, though he let Judith keep holding onto him. “Didn’t seem too happy when I left.” 

Beth tore her eyes away from Judith to look up at him, expression somewhere between pity and ‘damn you’re stupid’. “Course he wasn’t happy. It’s not like he wanted you to leave… none of us did.” From her tone, it was clear she had a couple people in mind. “We’re weak without you, Daryl, we needed you here.” 

Daryl’s brow furrowed a little, a moment passing as he seemed to run that one over and over in his head. “Y’all would’ve been alright. ‘m just another gun, got plenty ‘a those. Looks like you’ve been doin’ fine.” 

The girl laughed, but it was harsh, mirthless, it didn’t suit her very well. She shifted a little, inching Judith closer to him and off her arm a little. It was probably starting to fall asleep by now. “You say that now… I’m the only one you’ve seen so far.”

Turning his gaze away from the infant, he stared down at Beth, frown settling over his features. “What d’you mean?”

Beth sighed and shook her head. “Don’t worry ‘bout it right now. You’ll see when you can get up. Here, you mind watchin’ Judith for a little while? Gotta go check on somethin’.”

He made a vague noise in agreement, letting her pass the baby off to him. She got Judith settled on the least injured part of his chest and helped him lean back into what must have been every pillow they had found in the prison. That same sweet smile was back on Beth’s face as she lingered for a moment, before ducking and pressing a kiss to his cheek. To his credit, he only flinched a little as she did and managed to give her a slight nod as she headed out of the cell. 

Daryl glanced down at the baby, her little hands poking at his chest. He sighed and rocked her a little in his arms. “Please don’t grow up t’be that confusin’.” Judith only yawned in response and settled against him, eyes half shut. “Me too, kid,” he replied, feeling about as tired as she looked. A little more sleep wouldn’t hurt. Everything was still vaguely fuzzy and confusing. Things would probably make more sense when he woke up. 

Maybe when he woke up, he’d feel more like himself again. Maybe, he could even get used to being Uncle Daryl, though if he was allowed that title and the rest of them were too, there was no way this kid would grow up normal. Maybe that would be okay too.


	4. Home Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so this story is now officially an AU take on the second half of the third season. Warning, I don't like angsty things nearly as much as the writers of the show do, so this is going to be a lot lighter and fluffier than canon. Also, this is when shippy things really start happening, and I personally like Daryl as awkward as humanly possible in romantic situations, you have been warned.

There was an extra truck. Carol counted about four times as the gate to the yard was unlocked and then again as Michonne and Carl started unloading supplies. She didn’t recognize that one on the end, but nothing else seemed to be wrong. Sasha and Glenn had been on patrol when they’d come back, this run taking a bit longer than they usually did, and neither of them had said a word about it. If they were going to be under attack from an entire town of survivors, they had to prepare as much as possible. Since Rick was more or less out of commission, she and Hershel had largely been working to keep the rest of them from falling apart. So it didn’t really surprise her all that much to see the vet hobbling out of the prison as soon as she took her eyes off the alien truck.

Michonne seemed to pick up that something was off, but a slight head shake from Carol sent her inside silently with Carl. She never seemed to ask more questions than she needed to. It had been a little strange at first, but sometimes Carol appreciated her quiet company more than anything else.

“What’s going on? Whose is that?” she asked as soon as she and Hershel were out of earshot of the others. 

For a long moment, he said nothing, brow furrowed deeply. With a slight sigh, he nodded towards the prison. “I think you’d best come inside.”

When she made it clear she wouldn’t move without getting an explanation, Hershel relented. The man had a remarkable talent for defusing people that would likely explode otherwise. After gaining a promise that she would hear him out, he began talking. “The Dixons, both of them. We’re keeping the older one busy and as far away from us as possible. Didn’t think it was best to send him off without Daryl’s consent. Merle brought them here. Daryl… he was hurt fairly badly, but I think we both know how determined that one is to stay alive. He’s been in and out of it all day, expect he’ll come around again soon. Beth’s been sitting with him, but he hasn’t seen anyone else… we thought it best to wait for you.” 

Carol said nothing for some time, but slowly nodded. “I think I’ll go give Beth a break,” she said, voice very carefully void of emotion, even and measured.

Watching her closely, Hershel nodded. He let go of one of his crutches briefly to reach out and squeeze her shoulder. Saying nothing more, the pair of them headed back inside. Carol found Beth standing outside of a cell, looking in with the expression one would have if they suddenly discovered a closet full of puppies and cupcakes. Hearing Carol approach, Beth glanced over her shoulder and held up a finger to her lips as the older woman moved to her side. As she looked into the cell, Carol found a very similar expression crossing her own face. 

Daryl had fallen asleep with Judith snuggled against his chest, strong arms wrapped around her tiny frame, one of her little hands resting on his chest. The baby shifted a little in her sleep, almost as if she knew she was being watched, and curled in a little more. Beth wasn’t the only one that had to hold back an “Aww.”

Settling a hand on Beth’s shoulder, Carol gave a slight jerk of her head. “I’ll take over for a little while. Can you help Carl get the supplies sorted?” 

The girl nodded and left a little reluctantly. What was it about strong men holding babies? Not wasting time thinking about it, Carol quietly entered the cell and took the chair that Hershel had left there earlier. She didn’t know how long it would take for Daryl to wake up, but she was content to sit and wait for now. Eyes traveling over him, a slight frown crossed her face. The only times she had seen him bare-chested before had been very brief, and unfortunately under similar circumstances. Now that he wasn’t awake to flinch away and hide, she could clearly see the scars that marked his skin. Small cuts that likely weren’t treated right, burns here and there, some large, some small, a few long trailing cuts that disappeared under the bandages. She had few scars from her own experience; Ed had always preferred bruises that would eventually fade, no lasting evidence that way. It seemed Daryl hadn’t received the same forethought, maybe they wanted the marks to last, teach him a lesson. That sounded right if the way he flinched away from any little touch was any indication. 

Carol worked to push those thoughts from her mind. That was in the past, or she certainly hoped it was. His brother… she hadn’t known Merle very well or for very long before he’d been left behind, presumed dead, but she’d seen enough. Still, he had been the one to bring Daryl there, she doubted Ed would have done that for her, Sophia maybe, but not her. Things were always more complicated than they seemed.

She probably sat there an hour or two before he stirred. Well, Judith was the one that started it really; she woke up first and seemed vaguely annoyed that the person holding her was still asleep. With a soft whine, she started squirming in his arms, prompting him to groggily come to. Daryl made some sort of noise at her, it definitely wasn’t in English, but the baby seemed to respond in kind, making a very displeased face at him. Taking pity on him, Carol moved to the side of the bed. “Her, let me hold her a while.”

Looking up sharply, Daryl blinked at her, still trying to wake up a bit. “Carol?” he said her name more than a little uncertainly, sounding almost nervous. 

Just offering him a slight smile, she took the now very fussy Judith from him, glad Beth had thought ahead and dropped off a bottle a little while before. The baby seemed happy enough with her bottle as Carol sat with her on the edge of the bed. Daryl was still looking at her with slightly startled eyes, tense as if she might hit him. Slowly, he sat up, still curled in on himself, shoulders hunched, expression guarded. 

Silence fell over them for a moment. Daryl wasn’t going to apologize for leaving with his brother, and she didn’t want him to. She understood, probably better than the rest of them. Though she had changed in this new world, grown stronger than she ever expected to, if Ed had shown up out of the blue, she honestly wasn’t sure what she’d do. Still, Carol couldn’t deny it had hurt seeing the group return without him, but she didn’t think she’d know how to react if he tried to apologize for that one.

“Wanted to come back…” His voice was quiet, cautious, eyes fixed on the floor. “Figured… somethin’ might happen, Merle’d take off again or somethin’ an’… an’ I’d try an’ come back.” 

Carol looked at him slowly. She had never known him to be the type to say what someone wanted to hear. Daryl was curt, but he was honest, never sugar coating anything, never saying something he didn’t mean. That said, there was one word in there that bothered her. “Try?” Pausing, she realized what he meant. “You didn’t think we’d let you?”

Daryl glanced at her then away again, waiting an impossibly long moment before giving the slightest of nods. She looked at him for almost a minute before getting up and calling Carl over to the cell door and handing off his sister to him. The boy looked more than a little surprised to see Daryl, but at a look from Carol he took Judith without question. He would get an explanation from Beth. Carol vaguely wondered how Rick had taken the news, she hadn’t seen him since she got back. 

Moving back into the cell, she slowly retook her place on the edge of the bed. Daryl watched her closely, like a trapped animal knowing it was headed for the chopping block. Carol hated that look, knowing it had been on her own face more than a few times. She reached for his hand, moving slowly, giving him the chance to pull away if he wanted to, but he didn’t, letting her gently slip her hand into his, slowly curling his fingers around hers. Over the last several months, they had developed sort of a back and forth, she would flirt, he would trip over his own feet, but more often than not, they didn’t seem to need words. Still, she felt he needed to hear it. He had to know she meant it.

“We’ll always need you, Daryl, we’ll always want you here.” She gave his hand a slight squeeze. “You’re just as much part of this family as any of us.” 

“’s that what we’re callin’ us now?” he asked after a moment. Carol’s eyebrows rose a little. A ghost of a smirk was on Daryl’s face as he shyly met her eyes. Despite herself, a slight laugh slipped from her lips. 

“Suppose it is. Not sure what exactly that makes us to each other, though Beth has been tossing aunt and uncle around a lot lately…”

Daryl seemed to mull this over, nodding a little. “Guess it’ll work.” 

Smile settling a little more firmly on her face, Carol let her eyes flit around the room. “So, you’re feeling alright? Hershel said it was pretty bad before.” It wasn’t the most creative topic of conversation, but hopefully it would be distracting enough so he wouldn’t notice her inching closer to him.

“Yeah, still a bitch ‘f I move too much, but I ain’t dead yet, so can’t complain.” Daryl’s attention was on his own injuries. He was fairly sure the bandages were a little excessive, but he had made sort of a mess of one of the bullet holes, trying to dig the damn thing out himself. Never going to pull something that stupid again. Well, he probably would, but not any time soon. “Should be up pretty soon,” he added, shifting to sit up a bit more, trying to prove his point. It fell a little flat when he winced as pain shot through him again. 

Carol’s hand was instantly on his chest to help steady him, the other on his shoulder. “Easy, you’re making things worse. Little Asskicker doesn’t need her favorite uncle bleeding all over the place.”

He blinked at her, the corners of his mouth quirking up a little, not quite a smile, but pretty damn close. “You… you call her that?”

“Someone has to,” she said with a shrug. 

An odd moment of silence fell then, it wasn’t uncomfortable exactly, but it was strange, charged. Carol’s quiet shifting had brought her closer to him. She could feel his heart hammering under her hand, fluttering, that same slightly nervous look in his eyes again. The last eight months had seen quite a bit of flirting from her at least. Daryl had always been a bit more reluctant, though he had never openly rejected her, or even pushed her away. Secretly, she’d been hoping he would respond, that he wanted her to keep going, but he never made a move. 

Time to take a chance. 

Leaning up, Carol let her hand slide up to cup his face as she pressed their lips together. She felt more than heard his slight gasp, though there was a definite soft noise in the back of his throat as he drew back slightly. Wide blue eyes stared down at her, though he had only drawn back an inch or so. Carol leaned in again, letting her own eyes slip closed. 

Daryl didn’t pull away this time. He returned the kiss, lips moving slightly, hesitantly against hers. For her part, she had little experience in the matter of romance. There had only been one boyfriend before Ed, and neither of those relationships were much to go by, but the hunter seemed even more uncertain, cautious even. Not wanting to push him away again, she kept it chaste, gentle, letting her arms slowly wind their way around his shoulders. His hands found her waist, just sort of lightly resting there.

After a few moments, though it felt much longer, she pulled back and ducked her head under his chin, scooting closer, though she was careful to rest against his right side. Daryl’s hands twitched at her waist for a second before snaking around her, holding her close and leaning to rest his head on top of hers. It wasn’t perfect, but it was nice, it was a start of something that could be. 

Carol couldn’t resist the urge to ruin the moment.

“So… you’ve kissed someone before, right?” 

“Course I have.” He sounded more confused than insulted.

“Hmm, could’ve fooled me.” 

His scowl was completely worth it. At least he didn’t seem inclined to push her away any time soon. Carol wasn’t sure how long he would stay, or how anything would work out with that brother of his. For now, she was content to take in the moment. Maybe it was small given all the buildup, but she wouldn’t change it for the world. They were both battered and damn near broken, but maybe this shattered little family of theirs could help piece them all back together.


	5. Right Hand

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Daryl bromance is my favorite ever, there's gonna be a lot here, just so's you know.

“I work better on my own, Darlina,” was all Merle said as he headed off in his truck and clapped Daryl on the shoulder the next morning. Technically, the younger Dixon probably had no business being out of bed, but he would have crawled there if he hadn’t been given a spare set of crutches they managed to scrounge up. To his surprise, and everyone else’s, Merle had come to this decision all on his own. All of Daryl’s questions, protests, and curses fell on deaf ears. 

“Be back to check up on ya sometime,” he said as he slid into the driver’s seat. His eyes fell to Hershel and Carol, who had followed Daryl out, the rest were too busy trying not to celebrate. “You keep him outta trouble.” 

There was an odd look on Merle’s face as his gaze moved back to his baby brother, who had finally fallen silent, looking on hopelessly. “Stay safe, little brother.” And then he was off. 

Daryl made a point of bashing in a few walker heads, getting gore all over his crutches, before going back inside. If there was one thing that could be said about the things, it was quite the way to blow off steam. As Daryl hobbled back into the main cell block, he spared the others a glance, a slight frown settling on his face. It didn’t take a genius to realize their fearless leader wasn’t there. He turned to Carol as she moved to his side. “Rick?”

She exchanged a glance with Hershel, then with Glenn before meeting the hunter’s eyes again. Her hesitation only made Daryl more anxious, something she seemed to pick up on as she reached out and placed a hand on his arm, still looking like she didn’t quite know what to say. Luckily, Hershel spoke up instead. “The past few weeks have not been easy for him.” Understatement of the century. “Rick has been a little… unstable lately.” 

Frown deepening, Daryl cocked an eyebrow. “Like b’fore? Chargin’ off an’ shit? Where is he?”

“Stopped him before he took off this time.” Glenn stood slowly from his place at one of the tables. He hadn’t been quite sure how to go about talking to the redneck, given how much he had fought to keep his brother out. “He’s in one of the cells. He sort of… freaked a little when you showed up,” he added, with a quick sidelong glance as Hershel.

The other eyebrow joined the first. “Me? What’d I do? Ain’t even seen him…” Daryl glanced around at the uncertain faces. After a moment, he blew out a breath and started hobbling towards the cells. “Gonna go check on him.” 

“Wait.” Glenn moved to stop him stretching out one hand, but a sharp look from Carol stopped him dead. “I’m… I’m not sure that’s such a good idea. You’re still pretty beat up.”

Daryl cast a glance over his shoulder, expression making it evident just how stupid that sounded to him. “He ain’t gonna hurt me… this is Rick we’re talkin’ about,” he added, noting the suddenly nervous expressions that seemed to be catching on. “Look… ‘f he tries somethin’, I’ll holler, but just… lemme try, alright? Can’t just leave him in there…” 

The others exchanged a number of looks, but eventually Carol nodded to him. “If anything seems wrong, yell and we’ll be there.” 

He gave her an appreciative nod, though they both knew even if something went wrong, Daryl Dixon would not be calling for help from anyone any time soon. Glenn pulled the gate to the cells open for him and nodded at the one on the end. Daryl gave the young man’s shoulder an almost affectionate bump as he passed. The racial slurs had long since faded away, though he would still call Glenn a dumbass, but he was usually being a dumbass at the time, so it was fair. It wasn’t a lot, but it was enough to say they were alright. Glenn didn’t blame Daryl for his brother, and Daryl sure as hell couldn’t blame Glenn for wanting him gone. 

Working his way down the cell block seemed to take ages. Daryl hated the way it was impossible to be silent on crutches, making his approach painfully obvious, though maybe Rick would expect Hershel or something. He looked a bit more normal now, having convinced Hershel to let him throw on a shirt over his injuries and cut down on the bandages on his head. His damn leg was still screwed though, so it was crutches or limp painfully and slowly. Reaching Rick’s cell, Daryl leaned the crutches against the wall outside, and chose to limp the last few feet inside. 

The sheriff was sitting on the lower bunk, hunched over, head pressed into his hands, immobile except for the slight rise and fall of his chest, the only sign he was even alive. Daryl found his steps stuttering slightly, but he berated himself internally for being such a giant pussy and stood so he was right in front of the older man. “Rick? You alright?”

For a moment, it seemed Rick might not have heard him, the only change in his posture the slight tensing of his shoulders. Just as Daryl was about to reach a hesitant hand out towards the man’s shoulder, Rick’s head jerked up. Wide eyes looked him up and down before focusing on his face. Rick’s mouth moved, but if he was making any noise, Daryl’s trained ears couldn’t catch it. 

“Rick?” 

“No, no, no, no.” That he heard. With each tiny denial, Rick’s voice grew a bit louder. His eyes flicked to the left and he suddenly picked up in speed and volume even more. “Not here, you can’t be.”

“The hell’re you goin’ on about? ‘m right—” Daryl found himself cut off as Rick suddenly surged forward, almost leaping off the bed. A sharp gasp escaped the hick as his back slammed against the wall. Rick’s hands curled into fists at the collar of his shirt, eyes wide, crazed. It was instinct more than anything else that made Daryl’s hands shoot up, fighting the very strong urge to throw a punch, instead his fingers curling tightly around Rick’s shaking wrists. 

That seemed to get his attention. Rick’s brow furrowed in slight confusion, eyes flicking to Daryl’s hands, then back up to his face, expression questioning. “Daryl? But… you’re gone. Left, no him, no you.” The mutterings caused a sharp pang of guilt that didn’t mix particularly well with the pain and the worry of reopened wounds, but Daryl managed to keep a straight face. 

“Came back. He’s gone, Merle took off, ‘m here, Rick… long as you want me,” he added slowly, watching the man carefully.

Rick slowly let his grip on Daryl’s shirt slacken, one hand instead moving up to cup his face. The slightest flinch was Daryl’s only reaction. The older man had always been a little touchier than he was used to, and he had gradually adjusted to the arms slung around his shoulders and the occasional clap on the back. This was something a little different.

Head turning, Rick seemed to stare into space, reaching out his other hand towards nothing. He turned sharply back to Daryl, eyes flicking over his face again, his other hand coming to rest on Daryl’s arm. “You’re real… you’re here.” 

“Course I am.” 

Daryl wasn’t given any more time to puzzle over what the hell Rick meant by that before he was yanked forward and Rick’s arms wrapped around him in something that felt suspiciously like a hug. Okay, it was definitely a hug when Rick buried his face in Daryl’s neck and his fingers curled into the fabric of his shirt. Maybe it was for the best Merle had already taken off, though Daryl could hear his voice in the back of his mind, calling him a few choice three letter words. It was surprisingly easy to ignore. Wincing, Daryl scrunched up his face a little, waiting for the sudden spark of pain at the contact to fade. He trusted Rick to keep him up and leant into the man’s arms, though his own remained limp at his sides for another moment before slowly circling Rick’s back. 

For a moment, they simply stood there, Daryl still feeling very lost. He opened his mouth a few times, trying to think of what the hell to even ask first. “What’d you think when I walked in here?” It was a good enough place to start as any. 

“Dead,” Rick muttered, breath sending a slightly uncomfortable puff of air against Daryl’s neck. “Thought you were dead.”

Brows knitting together, Daryl’s eyes flicked about the cell, trying to figure out just where Rick had been looking. He suddenly had a very good idea just who the sheriff thought he had been staring at before. Absently, Daryl wound his arms around the other man just the slightest bit tighter. 

“I don’t plan on dyin’ any time soon,” he said softly, voice almost gentle, about the closest he could ever get to that. “Be pretty shitty for me to go an’ die on y’all now. Bunch’a dumbasses can’t last a week without me around.” 

There was a puff of breath against his skin that might have been a laugh. Rick’s shoulders gave a slight shake and he clung tighter. For the first time, Daryl almost regretted leaving. Almost. There was no way he could’ve let his brother just go like that again, but it just hadn’t clicked how wrecked Rick still was. Hershel and Glenn had mentioned it, sure, but seeing it was different. From the way he was shaking, Rick felt like he might actually fall apart if Daryl let go too suddenly.

“She ain’t gonna hurt you,” he added softly, taking a chance. There was a slight intake of breath, but Rick said nothing. “She never wanted you hurt… Gotta stop blamin’ yourself. I came back… ‘s your turn now. We need you, man, need you here.” 

Rick gave another slight shudder and Daryl was suddenly sure he wasn’t the right person for this. Touchy feely shit wasn’t a thing Dixons did, ever. The closest thing to a hug he ever got from his old man was a hand on his head as they collected what was left of his mother, after that, slightly less violent beatings was the most affectionate thing his father was capable of. Merle wasn’t much better, always said all that feelings shit was for pussies. This wasn’t something he knew how to do, but he didn’t see anyone else running in to take over. After all Rick had done for him, he had to at least try to get him through this.

A little hesitantly, he reached up, one hand settling on Rick’s head, calloused fingers moving through the man’s hair in what he hoped was a comforting way. It might have been his imagination, but it seemed a little of the tension went out of the older man’s shoulders. 

“You don’t hafta do this alone, man… said it a while back, ain’t no reason you gotta do all the heavy liftin’. Hershel, Glenn, me, ‘n Carol, we got your back. Any one of us out there, we’d do anythin’ you need us to.” For so long, he was sure Rick knew that. It seemed like it went without saying. They had gotten to the point where they could read each other’s every move in a fight, but apparently this wasn’t as obvious. That was going to have to change.

Slowly, Rick lifted his head from Daryl’s shoulder, eyes locking together a little uncertainly. His eyes flicked to the side, but Daryl’s hand moving to the side of his neck pulled them right back. “Hey, look at me. C’mon, you can’t check out, not now, not fuckin’ now. Whatever you’re seein’, it ain’t real. Stay here, man, we need you.”

Throat moving against Daryl’s hand, Rick worked to swallow the lump that had formed there. His own hand moved up to mirror the hold Daryl had on him. Eyes slipping shut, Rick leaned forward so their foreheads pressed together, something he had once done with Shane when it seemed one of them was an inch from exploding. It was probably best he kept his eyes shut, so he didn’t see how Daryl’s went wide for a moment, slight flash of panic there before it faded. 

“Still here, I’m still here,” Rick muttered. Daryl was real, this was real. The world still seemed to be falling apart around them, but this was still happening, he was still there. Maybe it wouldn’t be enough to last forever, but for the moment, it would keep him grounded. 

It seemed like ages before they left the cell. Rick’s gaze hovered a little guiltily at the way Daryl limped to his crutches, shrugging off his offer of help. Daryl pointedly made no mention of his injuries. He was pretty sure he’d be able to tell if he tore his stitches. Crashing into the wall and then Rick’s very solid frame hadn’t been fun, but he sure didn’t feel like he was bleeding out. Hell, even if he was, getting Rick back to the land of the living was worth it.

The others seemed a little surprise when Daryl returned with their leader matching his slowed steps at his side, his eyes fixed on Daryl’s hobbling feet, looking like he was ready to offer a hand the second it was needed. Though he had said it was unnecessary several dozen times, Rick had kept one arm resting lightly at Daryl’s back. Truth be told, the other man hadn’t protested all that strongly, fairly sure Rick might just want something to hold on to. 

Carol was the first to meet them, she looked torn about which one to go to first, so she settled with moving to Rick’s chest and keeping a firm grip on Daryl’s arm, her smile wide enough for the pair of them. Maggie and Beth joined them next, only beating their father due to his own crutches. Neither girl paid any attention to Daryl’s slight noises of protest as they forced him into the slowly growing group hug. Glenn made his way over with Carl at his side, one hand on the boy’s shoulder as he carried his little sister. Michonne hovered in the corner of the room though at a nod from Carol, she drew a little closer, though she only took one of Hershel’s hands to connect with the rest of them.

Their little family was still awkward and broken, but maybe putting it back together wasn’t quite as impossible as it seemed.


	6. Never Left

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was written back before we knew much about Tyreese or Sasha, so they might be a little OOC.

There were quite a lot of things they were expecting. The Governor’s men could be showing up to the gates any day. Merle had found them on his own, it was stupid to think the rest of them couldn’t. Or maybe they would kite a heard of walkers right up to the prison and let the undead do their dirty work. It sounded like a thing they would do. A smaller ambush would make sense, waiting for a little group to go out and get supplies and then nab them to weaken the whole. 

What no one had expected was Andrea showing up with a chained up walker in each hand. She took out more than a few others on her way in, though it seemed most steered clear, the scent of their own overpowering hers. Judging by the look on Michonne’s face, it was probably a good thing Glenn and Daryl, who kept ‘losing’ his crutches, were on patrol with her. They still only let her in as far as the first gate, waiting for Rick to make his way down the hill. 

Glenn stood back with Michonne, one eye on Andrea, the other on Daryl as he closed the gate behind her and stabbed two walkers through the head before he turned to her. Andrea seemed to ignore the staring contest Michonne was having with the side of her head, instead focusing on Daryl’s slight limp, frown sneaking onto her face. “Merle got you better in that fight than I thought.” 

Scoffing, he hefted his crossbow on one shoulder, trying not to show how he favored his right side. “This was a couple’a your guys, not him. Pretty small world we’re in here.”

As Andrea nodded, her eyes flicked to Michonne, though only for a split second. “Yeah, I’m starting to get that. Daryl, I…” An odd look crossed her face, hands twitching a little at her sides. “When you were in the ring… I wanted to stop it. I tried but—” 

He held up a hand, stopping her short. Daryl’s eyes lingered on her face for a moment before he shook his head. “Nothin’ you could’a done without gettin’ tossed in too. Made it out alright, no harm no foul.” 

Andrea didn’t look as though she quite believed him, but she managed a slight nod before her gaze moved to Glenn and Michonne, not even knowing where to start with either of them. The cavalry chose that moment to make its way down the hill, so she didn’t have to, at least not yet.

When the rest drew near, it was obvious Andrea was looking among them for the faces that weren’t there, her brows knitting together as Rick nodded for Axel to pull the gate open. He approached her ahead of the others and her expression grew pained. “Lori? Shane?” 

Swallowing a lump in his throat, Rick shook his head. Andrea pressed a hand over her mouth like she might be sick. It was impossible to tell who moved first, but then she was in Rick’s arms, face pressed to his chest, his arms around her as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. It felt like an eternity since she had been left behind at the farm, no one knowing whether she was alive or dead, but assuming the worst. Having her back, it was strange, but not unwelcome, another little piece of their family returning to the puzzle. 

The others hung back, Maggie moving to Glenn’s side, though they still didn’t touch, her eyes narrowed. She hadn’t trusted Andrea since the farm, still furious at her for what almost happened with Beth, her experiences at Woodbury not making things any better. Michonne exchanged a glance with her, something dangerous and unspoken there.

Carol followed after Rick soon enough, greeting Andrea with a slight squeeze of her shoulder. Leaving the sheriff’s embrace, she pulled the older woman into one as well. After leaving the farm, Carol had mentioned more than once how Andrea got lost trying to save her. No words were exchanged there, but the actions said enough. 

If only it all could be that easy. 

After a few more words and several dozen meaningful looks, they all headed back inside. Axel, Tyreese, and Sasha introduced themselves. The other two members of Tyreese’s group were rarely seen outside of their cell block, making it quite clear they didn’t trust any of their hosts in the slightest. Judith couldn’t do more than gurgle at the strange new blonde lady, so Carl handled that introduction instead. Andrea didn’t quite seem to know what to make of the baby being there and so many others being gone. Soon enough, Beth took the baby and she and Carl made themselves scarce at a slight nod from Rick. The adults had some talking to do, and they were dumb, so it would take some time. 

“Did he send you here?” Glenn asked the question, though it was clear from the looks of the two women flanking him where it had come from.

Andrea looked at Michonne before answering, something almost sad in her expression before she shook her head. “No, but he expects me back. I don’t plan on telling him anything, though… I’m not sure I’ll have to.” Now she turned to Rick. “After what went down, they’re gunning for you. They already know you’re here.”

Glenn gave Maggie’s hand a squeeze. She returned it, then let go maybe a little more quickly than she usually would. No one blamed her, but that didn’t seem to stop her blaming herself. 

“Already came after Merle,” Daryl added, drawing the attention away. “Sent four guys after him. Don’t seem to like people gettin’ away.”

Suddenly Andrea had a better idea about Daryl’s crutches, which Hershel and Beth had glared him into taking as they entered the prison. With a slight sigh, Rick scrubbed a hand over his face. “What do you suggest, running?” 

Looking at the floor, Andrea couldn’t find and answer for him. Glenn was already shaking his head. “There’s no way. They’ve been here longer; they know the area way better. They’d catch us before we got a day from here. If we stay, we can at least make a stand here.”

“Helluva a place to make a last stand,” Daryl muttered, crossing his arms over his chest. “We’re rats in a trap here. They’ve got numbers we don’t.”

“So what? We head out so they can pick us off in the woods?” Maggie shook her head and glanced around the circle. “No way we’d be able to hold them off when we’re runnin’ scared.” 

Neither option seemed particularly pleasant. Leaning against the wall, Sasha’s eyes were fixed on the floor as she tried to rub the goose bumps off her arms. “They already know we’re here… they might be ready for us even if we try to escape.”

Rick cast her a sideways glance, then looked to Tyreese. “I’m sorry, you didn’t need to get involved in this.”

“Well, we’re in it now,” Tyreese said with a shrug. “Look, you took us in, way I see it, this is our fight just as much as yours. We’re in this whether we like it or not.”

No one seemed to be in any rush to turn away the help. He was right, there likely wasn’t any way for any of them to get out now. It wasn’t much, but it was at least something to know they weren’t about to be abandoned. They went around for almost an hour, eventually coming to the unarguable conclusion that whether they wanted out or not wasn’t much of an issue at this point. Even if they made it out, there was no way to know they could all escape or find a defensible position to regroup at. The possibility of being separated was not one they were allowing. That wasn’t happening again. 

Maybe the second time she’s spoken up, Michonne has a rather interesting idea. “Why don’t we trap them instead?”

Rick blinked at her, brows drawing together in confusion. “Not sure that’d be possible, they outnumber us.” 

“Us, maybe, but there are other things in this prison.” There was almost something creepy about how calmly she proposed it.

“Feed ‘em to the walkers?” Daryl shifted a little at his place leant against one of the tables. “Might work, be pretty easy to get caught in the cross fire, though. Things ain’t gonna care who they go for.” 

“We could rig it though,” Sasha said slowly, eyes calculating. “You’ve been here longer, you know the place best. We could plot escape routes for us and trap them inside.”

Andrea looked around the circle, more than a little appalled. “These are _people_ ; you’re talking about setting those monsters on them? After all we’ve lost… how can you even say something like that?” 

“It’s them or us,” Maggie said, voice harsh and cold, eyes icy as the blonde turned to her.

“Not really givin’ us much choice here.” With a shrug, Daryl cocked an eyebrow. “Didn’t seem to mind chuckin’ me an’ Merle to a bunch’a walkers for shits and giggles. ‘f they come lookin’ I say we give ‘em what they got comin’.” 

Andrea ran a hand through her hair, opening her mouth to argue, but stopped when Hershel raised a hand. “Daryl has a point. This is simply for self-defense. No one is suggesting leading a herd of walkers into their town. If they come here, we’ll have to protect ourselves, there’s no way around that, and… should they come, we will have to make use of whatever resources we can.” 

She scoffed at that, crossing her arms over her chest and cocking an eyebrow at the old man. “So they’re a resource now?” Andrea wasn’t pulling any punches and she knew how to hit Hershel where it hurt. 

“Andrea.” Rick sounded almost like he used to with the reprimand, stern, take charge, but there was still… just the slightest something off. “If they come to us, we can’t hold back. I don’t like it any more than you do, but… we have to consider it,” he added, eyes flicking to Michonne.

“It would be a last resort.” Carol had been silent for some time, but slowly the attention of the circle fell to her. “If they come in, if they try to hunt us down, we can lead them to the walkers to keep them busy long enough for us to get out and get a decent head start.” 

It was still pretty obvious Andrea wasn’t thrilled with the idea, but she eventually fell silent. When asked what she planned to do, she hesitated for a moment, eyes flicking to Michonne, before saying she wanted to stay. The Governor may have taken her in, but this was where she belonged. However, the other woman left for patrol before Andrea could get to her. 

Everyone was splitting off to do what they could. With a sigh, she moved to help Carol start reinforcing the walls of the walkways. Tyreese went off with Glenn to do a quick count of the artillery, as Rick and Axel conferred over a map of the prison drawn on the ground with chalk, Daryl standing over them, tossing in an opinion here and there.

“This bit in the back’s gonna be near impossible to hold. ‘s where Tyreese came in, said the whole wall was collapsed,” Axel said, finger pointing out the worst of the damages.

“Might not have to,” Daryl added, looking down at the map with his head cocked to one side, eyes following the path of Axel’s finger. “Gonna be swarmed with walkers back there. ‘f they try an’ get at us going ‘round back, they’re gonna have’ta fight their way through.” 

Rick nodded slowly, tracing a path of his own. “Would there be any way to lead walkers from the back through to the front?”

“Be tricky… we might be cuttin’ off escape routes for us.” Axel frowned a little under his glorious mustache. “Could lead ‘em up the middle, but it’ll be hard to get out after that for whoever plays bait.” 

Scrubbing a hand over his face, Rick let his eyes flick over the map, trying to find alternatives. This seemed to be spiraling out of control, there were so many variables and things they just couldn’t plan for. He didn’t want to lose anyone in this, but it was looking more and more challenging.

A firm hand on his shoulder made him glance up as Daryl knelt down next to him, trying to cover a slight wince as he did so, pointing at another bit of the map. “What about over here?” 

“That might work… doesn’t connect to a lot of the main hallways, could block it off before walkers get there, force ‘em back down the middle,” the convict said with a slight nod.

Rick’s eyes flicked to Daryl, who gave his shoulder a slight squeeze though he never looked up from Axel’s directions on the map. The younger man had sort of almost accidentally fallen into the role of his number two during the long winter months, and he was doing his best to get back into it like he had never been gone. Daryl seemed to almost be able to read his mind. He picked up on it the second Rick was starting to doubt himself without even a word. Damn it was good to have him back. 

Now, if they could just get everyone out of the prison safely. Having Andrea back was another gun, which was always good, but it added a few more complications. Still, she had been a part of them once, she could be again.


	7. Always Darkest

Maybe it was because they knew they were screwed, any day now an army from Woodbury could show up at the gates. When any day could be your last, getting drunk is definitely a high priority. Daryl had made a point of checking any liquor store they came across for nearly eight months and had managed to get a pretty decent selection. Carl and Beth were not allowed to participate, so they turned in early with Hershel, who said the last thing he needed was a missing liver to match his leg.

The rest of them were grouped around on the floor of the small area just beyond the cell block. Bottles of bourbon and scotch made their way around the circle several times. On about the fourth time around, secrets started spilling out.

“No fuckin’ way you did ballet.” Daryl snorted in disbelief.

Tyreese pressed one hand to his chest and held up the other as if taking an oath. “Swear to God, man. Sasha ‘n me were in those damn dance classes for years. Quit to start football.” 

“You say that now,” Sasha said with a sly grin. “Flipped when he found out he had to drop it. He was the only one that liked it; I couldn’t get that damn tutu off fast enough.” Her laughter only grew at the nudge from her brother.

Sniggers went around the circle, though Carol took pity on the man and leaned over to place a comforting hand on his knee. “I’m sure you were a lovely dancer.”

“Damn right, I was.” Tyreese knocked back another shot, smile sliding back onto his face. “So maybe I did like it, just me in a room full of girls in short skirts. Don’t see what’s so wrong with likin’ that.” 

Sasha swatted him playfully on the arm as laughter filled the room again and at least a few people gave an approving nod. Leaning back into her spot next to Daryl, Carol shook her head a little. “Guessing you had pretty good luck with the girls in your class?”

“Don’t kiss an’ tell,” Tyreese said, though his slight smile hinted at what went unsaid. 

“Speaking of kissing and telling,” Glenn chimed in, eyes flicking between Carol and the man next to her. “You two seem pretty… friendly lately.”

Andrea snorted and set down her bottle. “I think what he’s asking is, how far have you two gone? Not to pry or anything, but it’s getting pretty damn obvious…”

All eyes of the circle were on them, except Axel, who suddenly seemed very interested in the bottle in his hands. The two exchanged a glance, there was something distinctly flirty in Carol’s smile, though Daryl looked about the same as ever, maybe a little nervous. Cocking her head to one side, Carol’s smile turned into more of a smirk. “Think we should show them how far we’ve gone?” she asked, cocking an eyebrow. 

Daryl’s eyes flicked about the circle for a second, noting that there were way too many people staring and he was not nearly drunk enough for this. He just shrugged, so Carol leaned forward and kissed him. True to what she’d said before, it was only as far as they’d gone before, which meant it was soft, chaste and over in just a few seconds.

When she pulled away, a cricket’s chirp could have been heard. Glenn blinked a little at them. “That’s it?” 

“Yup,” Carol said, knocking her leg against Daryl’s. She didn’t sound disappointed, something still distinctively teasing in her tone as her eyes flicked to Daryl. His only response was to knock back another shot. 

“Huh…” Glenn eyed Daryl, brows knitting together in confusion. It was probably due to the fact that he had emptied most of a bottle of scotch himself that he asked his next question. “So, Daryl… you’ve, y’know, slept with a girl before, right?”

Maggie elbowed him sharply in the ribs, as the rest of the group waited for Daryl’s response. He slowly set down the bottle, gaze focused on it instead of anyone, especially the woman next to him. “Does it matter?” he asked after a few moments. “Not like ‘ve really had a chance to since all hell broke loose… B’fore… ‘s just never somethin’ I got around to, I guess.” 

The circle seemed to take a moment to process that, Carol’s brows knitting together a little as she shared a look with Rick around Daryl’s head. It would explain one or two things about the man between them.

“Hey, no shame in still having your V-card,” Tyreese said in what was probably meant to be a reassuring manner. Sasha elbowed her brother again as Daryl just threw back another shot. 

“What about a guy?” Apparently Glenn was an inquisitive drunk who didn’t know when to shut his mouth. Maggie choked a little on her bourbon next to him.

Instead of the expected explosion, Daryl simply cocked an eyebrow. “No. Why? Have you?”

Sputtering, Glenn shook his head frantically as laughs filled the room again. Maggie took pity on him and put a hand on Glenn’s shoulder. “Hey, it’s not that weird. Hell, I’ve kissed a girl before.” 

That certainly got the attention off of Glenn. She rolled her eyes at the sudden fascination. “It was college, my roommate an’ I were at this party. Things got a little out of hand. No big deal. Bet ‘m not the only one.” Maggie glanced around the circle until Andrea waved a hand.

“That’s what college is for, isn’t it?” She tipped back her head, thinking. “This girl, think her name was Susan, we were both curious I suppose and… one thing led to another.”

Maggie gave a slight nod and looked around again. “See?” She caught Rick’s eyes and smirked a little, head tilting to one side. “How ‘bout you, Rick? Seem like a guy who’s seen a lot…” 

All eyes on him, their fearless leader mulled over the question for a moment, before giving a slight nod.

“No way.” Glenn’s mutter was barely audible, but it was enough to put a bit of a smile on Rick’s face as he scratched at his stubble.

“Long while back in the police academy, think it was, there was this other rookie. Guy named Mike, I think, hit it off and ended up a little closer than I meant to.” Rick shrugged a little. “Didn’t last, but it was… interesting.”

Daryl clapped Rick on the shoulder and smirked across the circle at Glenn. “See, man, nothin’ wrong with it. ‘f you wanna come clean, we’re all ears.”

“Screw you,” Glenn fired back, but there was no malice in it, he even joined in with the ensuing laughter after a second. 

Things largely continued in the same way late into the night. Eventually, people started dropping off. Michonne reluctantly helped a staggering Andrea down the cellblock as Sasha pulled Tyreese to his feet so the two could head back to their part of the prison. Glenn and Maggie headed off, with Axel following along just behind them, eyes flicking between Daryl and Carol almost sadly as he left. 

Steps hampered more by his still notable limp than alcohol, Daryl set about gathering up the empty bottles and setting them against one wall. “Might ‘s well save ‘em,” he muttered as Rick pulled Carol to her feet. “Could drop ‘em on people, maybe, or make Molotov’s or some shit….”

Rick gave a slight nod. It wasn’t a terrible idea, especially given just how full those bottles had been before. Back on her feet, Carol took a moment or two to get her balance. The woman had a higher tolerance than expected, though she was definitely wobbling the slightest bit as she moved to Daryl’s side and casually leaned against his arm. He glanced down at her, but didn’t seem to mind. Both she and Rick had made quite the impact on Daryl’s former impenetrable wall of personal space. Rick moved to his other side, arm almost instinctively going around the younger man’s shoulders. 

Daryl cast him a glance as well and blew out a breath. “Y’all ‘re so damn touchy lately. ‘s not like ‘m gonna just vanish or somethin’.” He paused for a moment, biting at his lip. “Don’t plan on leavin’ again.” 

After he came back, Daryl didn’t talk about the week he spent away, ever. If it ever even seemed like it might come up, he would suddenly be needed with Judith or on watch. Once or twice, he would say it didn’t matter, but something in his eyes said differently.

Neither Carol nor Rick said anything in response, just casually tugged him along down the cell block. If Daryl had a problem with the other two helping him up to his perch, he didn’t mention it. And if anyone had something to say when the three of them woke up curled together with pounding headaches the next morning, they wisely kept it to themselves. Things weren’t always clear cut and certain within their little family, but sometimes it was what didn’t need to be said that meant more.


	8. Before Dawn

Their plan to fight, distract, and escape the Governor’s men continued along, though Andrea’s moral dilemma about it went away a few mornings later when everything went to shit. It seemed like one of those days where literally everything that could go wrong did. 

After handing off guard duty to Michonne that morning, Rick vanished, something that took them way too long to notice. Swearing up a storm, Daryl went after him, waving off any offer of help extended to him. They were already down two guys with Rick off who knew where and Glenn gone even earlier to scout the area, gather supplies, maybe find some place new to hole up. His limp finally leaving him, Daryl insisted it had to be him; the rest of them just needed to keep preparing. No one was a fan of this plan, particularly Hershel, who hobbled down the hill to see him off. 

It had been maybe an hour or two since Daryl disappeared into the trees, everyone back to what they had been doing, though Carol couldn’t stop staring out at the woods. A gentle hand on her shoulder caught her attention. She managed a smile for Axel as he moved to stand at her side.

“Worried about them?” he asked, glancing out at the trees. 

“Is it that obvious?” She tried to keep her tone light, but it was pretty clear her attention wasn’t on reinforcing the yard as much as it should be.

Axel gave a slight nod, mustache curling a little with his smile. “Just a little. Seems like they’re always in a big hurry to charge off an’ be the hero.”

Carol raised an eyebrow at him. “That’s not your style though, is it?” 

He shrugged a little. “Not particularly. Usually better at savin’ my own skin. Ain’t a bad thing though. Good guys to have around, don’t see many like that in a place like this.”

With a slight nod, Carol smiled a bit more genuinely, a little laughter creeping into her eyes. “Suppose that makes sense. No offense.” 

“Nah, I said it first. I’m just not the type. Oscar was though…” Bushy eyebrows furrowed a little, though he shook his head, trying to shake off the sudden feelings. Axel quickly regained his calm smile, working to change the topic. “Is that your type? Heroes, I mean?” 

Carol actually snorted a little at that and shrugged. “Don’t really have that sort of track record.”

Axel scratched his chin in thought. “Bad boys, then?” 

She gave him a side long glance, smirk matching his. “Depends. Do you mean the type with patchy facial hair, or ones that have giant caterpillar mustaches?”

He looked a little taken aback by that, though his expression quickly became a little more of a pout as he crossed his arms over his chest. “It doesn’t look like a caterpillar.”

Lifting a hand to her mouth, Carol tried to muffle her laughter. “Sorry. You’re right, it’s more of a walrus.” 

“Now you’re just bein’ rude,” he said, giving her a slight playful nudge to the side. 

Carol shook her head, holding off her laughter this time. She mirrored his earlier gesture, gently patting his shoulder. “I do like it. It suits you.”

Axel opened his mouth to respond, but the words never left him. They were stopped by a shot that went straight through his head and splattered Carol with his blood. Her noise of surprise and horror was cut off as she tried to catch him, despite it being far too late for her to do anything for him as the pair of them crumpled to the ground. A dozen more shots rang out as she curled behind Axel’s body, the only shield near to her. 

Carl and Beth were yelling on the other side of the yard, rushing for cover as quickly as possible. Judith was thankfully still inside with Maggie when all hell broke loose.

Out on the grassy hill, Michonne took refuge behind the tipped vehicle at the gates as the Governor and his men shot at anything that moved within the prison gates. Their truck had appeared from nowhere as had the gunman in one of the towers. Tyreese and Andrea found themselves caught on one of the walkways they had still been fortifying, no way out without getting spotted and shot to pieces. Hershel hid among the tall grass, firing off shots when he could, but there was only so long that would last. 

In the woods, things weren’t going much better. Daryl had finally caught up to Rick about twenty minutes before Axel’s last breath. He had approached slowly, not wanting to startle him, but after all their time hunting together, Rick knew Daryl’s quiet footsteps anywhere. 

“I know she’s not there,” he said, voice soft and raspy as if he had worn it out shouting earlier. Rick’s gaze was fixed on a point several feet in front of him even as Daryl moved to his side. The former cop took a long, slow breath, trying to steady himself. “This… it has to mean something, doesn’t it?”

“Think it means you miss her,” Daryl said slowly, that being the most obvious and least painful answer he could find. 

Rick gave a slight nod, eyes still focused straight ahead of him. “I need to stop, I get that. Just… can’t stop seein’ her. Can’t make her go away.”

“She ever say anythin’?” Daryl let his own gaze flick to where Rick seemed to be staring. Try as he might, all he saw was empty space. 

The older man shook his head. “Not yet. I think… I think she’s tryin’ to, but I just, maybe I’m not ready to hear it yet… I must sound crazy right now.”

After a second or two, Daryl shook his head. “Nah, ‘f you were crazy, you’d still be tryin’ to talk to her, not me. Seen crazy b’fore, and you ain’t it. Still know what’s real and what’s not.” 

“Guess that’s something.” Rick sighed, head drooping forward. He scrubbed a hand over his face, finally turning to look at his second. “You should head back. I’ll follow in a bit.”

Biting at his thumb nail, Daryl seemed to think about this for a moment before shaking his head. “Nah, came out here to find you, not leavin’ you out here. Hell, Hershel’s already pissed I went after you, imagine what he’d do ‘f I came back without’cha.” 

Rick managed a slight chuckle. “Fair enough.” He glanced up again, expression faltering again. “Just… give me another minute?”

Daryl nodded and reached out to give Rick’s shoulder a slight squeeze. Meaning to give him a bit of space, Daryl moved away, doing a quick loop around the small clearing where he had found Rick. He kept his gaze sharp, ears trained for any approaching sound. Rick moved a bit closer to whatever it was he was seeing, but he didn’t say a word.

Several long moments of silence passed before Rick blew another breath out his nose and almost forcefully turned away, eyes slightly unfocused until he found Daryl. He gave a slight nod and readjusted the grip on his gun. With a few strides, he was at the younger man’s side. “You know the way back?” 

Jerking his head, Daryl started off the way he had come, Rick falling into step beside him. Their walk was quiet, but oddly peaceful. They were about halfway back when a shot rang out. The look they shared was quick and panicked, lasting only a split second before Daryl took off running, Rick right behind him. It didn’t take someone with Daryl’s tracking skills to figure out that the shot had come from where they were headed. 

Almost as soon as the prison was insight, Daryl let out a yell and yanked Rick behind a tree as the space they had just occupied was suddenly filled with a hail of bullets. Their attacker had the advantage of angle, pinning them down, barely able to fire off a couple of shots without being mowed down. Daryl swore under his breath as he managed to get a glimpse of the prison. The upper yard was too far away to make out clearly, but Hershel and Michonne were just as trapped as they were.

Up near the prison, Maggie and Sasha had managed to slip out one of the side doors. Sasha laid down cover fire for the former as she helped Carol sprint to better cover and handed off another rifle to the older woman. Andrea and Tyreese very quickly found themselves running short on rounds, still unable to land a shot on the sniper in the tower. It seemed the air everywhere was filled with a hail of bullets. A scream sounded across the yard as the attacker landed a lucky shot and Sasha drew back closer to the door, breath coming in sharp bursts as she clamped a hand her arm, trying to stem the blood flow. 

“Shit.” Tyreese was halfway up before Andrea yanked him back down, just in time for another round to fly over his head.

“I know,” she muttered in response to his desperate look. “But if we try to get there, we’re sitting ducks.” 

Eyes focused and deadly, Tyreese nodded and went back to trying to take out the gunner with renewed fervor, though he couldn’t stop his eyes flicking to his sister’s hiding spot every few seconds.  

Suddenly, everything went quiet and the gunfire stopped. Maggie and Carol exchanged a look. There was no way it was over just like that. Catching Beth’s attention, Carol signaled for her to stay put with Carl as Maggie peeked out, trying to figure out what was going on. Daryl and Rick heard the roar of tires first, and a wide smile spread on the Governor’s face. 

Michonne’s eyes went wide as what looked like a moving truck plowed straight through the front gates and slowly rolled to a stop inside the yard. She looked across the way, quickly finding Hershel’s position hidden in the grass. For a moment, there was complete stillness, then the back of the truck slid open.

“Oh fuck me,” Andrea murmured as a herd of walkers shambled out of the truck, making a beeline straight for Hershel. 

Judging that his work there was done, the Governor signaled to his men and moved back into his truck, firing a few more shots into the air before they sped away, attracting all the surrounding walkers in the area they hadn’t already alerted. Michonne was the first to start moving again, slinging her gun back over her shoulder and pulling her katana smoothly from its sheath, beheading two walkers in a single step.  At the trees, Daryl and Rick kicked back into high gear, moving to the fence as fast as possible. 

The gunman in the tower seemed more than a little surprised to be left behind. Maggie wasted no time taking advantage of that and fired a shot straight through his head. Finally able to move, Tyreese and Andrea were up in milliseconds and racing towards Sasha. There was another roar of tires as this time a familiar car sped into sight and through the gates. Michonne sliced her way to Hershel and was helping the older man up as Glenn’s truck screeched to a halt beside them. Carol was the first to the upper gate, the only one still intact, pulling it open for them as Maggie and Carl took out any walker that drew near. 

Daryl and Rick worked their way inside, moving back to back as they fought their way up the hill. Sticking to their knives instead, they were both covered in blood and gore by the time Carol was yanking open the gate for them. Maggie rushed to help her father from the truck, nodding towards Sasha, who Beth was helping back inside. He gave her a nod before hobbling inside as the rest of them turned to stare in horror at their now overrun front yard. 

“Damn good idea, usin’ walkers,” Daryl muttered. “Too bad they got to it first.” 

It was clear now that though they were working hard to come together, the Governor and Woodbury would work just as hard to tear them apart.


	9. Waiting Game

Two days after the attack, they buried Axel. Repairing the lower gates proved to be almost impossible. It took all of them to get the hill cleared and keep it that way long enough for repairs to even be attempted. They did manage it eventually, but it was crude and shaky. Now they were down three. The two other members of Tyreese’s group had slipped out during the chaos, leaving only a hastily scribbled note behind. Sasha had at least gotten off easy, the bullet grazing her arm rather than going through it, but that was the only break they managed to catch. 

Leaving Axel’s body in the yard was out of the question, and Carol was insistent that he be buried next to Lori and T-Dog. As she pointed out, there was already an empty grave down there. No one attempted anything more than a slight protest. Michonne stood guard at the gates as they lowered the convict into the ground. Carol said a few words, voice steady even as tears slipped down her face.

She was the last to leave the grave as the group retreated back into the yard. Daryl met her at the gates, shutting them behind her. For a moment, he stood there a little awkwardly as Carol stared out at the fresh grave. He took a breath and pulled her into a hug. Carol ignored the split second of shock and wrapped her arms around him tightly, letting tears flow more freely. 

“Someday I’m going to need to find some other reason for you to hold me,” she said softly, remembering only too well the first time Daryl had pulled her into his arms and refused to let go. 

Daryl just gave a slight nod, working to swallow the lump that formed in his throat. At least it had been a clean shot through the head this time so no one had to put Axel out of his misery. 

After a few moments, Carol pulled back and managed a pained smile. She slid her hand into his and gave him a slight tug. Despite his dubious glance at their hands, Daryl walked back to the prison at her side, fingers still intertwined. Carol knew it had probably taken quite a lot for him to work himself up to the hug, during which he’d still been a little stiff and twitchy, but it was the thought that counted. He was fighting past his discomfort for her, which said more than any consoling words.

Of course, there would never be time for more than a single moment of peace. As soon as they were inside, things went right back to work. “Daryl, c’mere,” Glenn called, waving him over. “Might’ve found something.” 

Daryl sighed and scrubbed a hand over his eyes. “Can’t catch a damn break,” he muttered, shaking his head.

“Hey.” Carol smiled up at him and gave his hand a slight squeeze. “It’s fine. Go on, I’ll be alright,” she added, noting the slight frown on his face.

He nodded, but didn’t really look like he believed her. Ducking his head, Daryl pressed a kiss to her cheek before heading across the room to look at the map Glenn had spread out over the table. Carol’s smile grew a little as she watched him. Feeling eyes on her, Carol glanced up and found Rick watching from Daryl’s perch, Judith in his arms. She cocked her head to one side, eyes flicking briefly about the room before moving to join him.

Casually, Carol slid to Rick’s side. “You really do have a bird’s eye view from up here.” 

“Uh huh.” Rick glanced at her sideways. “Seems like someone’s extra affectionate today.”

With a slight laugh, Carol nodded. “You didn’t even see how he hugged me before. He’s really starting to get out of control now.”

“We’ve created a monster, an awkward hugging monster,” Rick said, a lightness to his voice that hadn’t been there in some time. He gave his daughter a little bounce, readjusting her so she was resting against his shoulder. Smile slowly fading from his face, his eyes flicked to Carol. “You alright?” 

“Not really,” she said, leaning to rest her elbows on the railing. “Just starting to get to know him and… now he’s gone, just like that.” With a sigh, Carol shook her head a little. “Whoever said it gets easier was either lying or stupid.” 

“Always seemed that way,” Rick said with a nod. 

“You know, he was the first person to hit on me in fifteen years.” Her expression wasn’t quite a smile, something too sad still lingering there, something that would never leave completely. Every loss was a reminder of all the ones that had come before.

Rick cocked an eyebrow. “I’m not sure I believe that.” His eyes flicked away for a second. “You know… you look nice with your hair, I mean, it’s really… brings out your eyes,” he finished, looking a little lost. 

Carol looked at him for a second before her shoulders shook with a laugh. He shrugged helplessly, though there was a smile playing around his lips. “Alright, I’m a little out of practice, I’ll admit.” 

“Just a little,” Carol agreed. She shifted a little, apparently accidentally letting her arm brush against his. “Always room for improvement. You could still offer Daryl a few pointers.” 

“That would be a fun conversation,” Rick noted with a slight bob of his head. It had been pretty clear since before they left the farm almost a year ago just how Daryl and Carol were starting to feel about each other. Somehow, Rick started to find himself getting closer to both of them, pulled right into the middle of things.

Carol gave him a slight bump with her arm, warm smile finally finding its place again. “Should probably see how things are going. Glenn’ll want you to look over his master plan after he runs it by Daryl. I can take Judy for a little while.” 

Rick blinked at her. “Judy?” 

“What? It’s cute.” She raised a challenging eyebrow, but Rick relented and handed over his daughter, giving Carol’s shoulder a quick squeeze before heading down the stairs.

Glenn’s master plan was in fact progressing fairly well despite the rather enormous set back of their front door and first line of defense being taken down in just a few seconds. They had managed to get them up again and the main yard cleared, but if there was another attack, and that was looking more and more likely, the quick patch job wouldn’t last. For now it was barely enough to hold back a walker or two at a time. If there was another truck or even just a passing herd, the hill would be overrun in no time flat. 

Defending their position was looking pretty damn impossible. No one liked the idea, but escaping to find somewhere new was the only viable option. Glenn’s supply run when the attack struck had also been a scouting mission and he had found something. It wasn’t much, but it would have to do. 

“Big old house, I think it used to be a lodge,” Glenn said, point out the location on the map. “I only found it when I took the wrong way back. Can’t see it from the main streets, the woods around it are way too thick.” 

Daryl squinted at the map, trying to gauge the distance, his own finger on the prison. “Looks like… ‘bout twenty miles from here. Sure that’s not too close?”

Glenn shook his head. “It’s not a permanent solution. I was thinking more of a place to meet up if we get separated.” They couldn’t lose anyone else now. 

“Alright,” Rick said with a slow nod. “And then what?” 

“If we aren’t followed out, we can hole up there for a couple days, regroup, maybe go for supplies.” Glenn traced a few different routes on the map. “I figure from there we either go north or east, make for the coast or head up towards South Carolina. As long as we avoid major cities, either way should be a straight shot.”

He didn’t say what they were hoping to find. Someplace safe, somewhere they could actually stay and make a home. For now, they just had a war zone to get out of.

Rick nodded again. With a slight wave, Glenn had the other two follow him over to the chalk drawn map of the prison on the ground. Getting to the lodge would be the easy part. The battle before that would be a bit more complicated. Kneeling down, Glenn waited till the other two men were on his level before speaking. “We have to wait for them to come to us.” 

Daryl and Rick exchanged a look but neither of them said anything. Glenn ran a hand through his hair. “Holding our position on our terms will be a lot easier than going out there and trying to find them. What we need to do is lure them in and then get ourselves out.” He traced a few long corridors on the map. “We can lead them to the walkers here, here, and here. Axel said these smaller hallways just go straight out, emergency exits. We should be able to block them off on the go.”

Nodding again, Rick pointed to the thin line representing the gate around the exits Glenn pointed out. “Will we be able to get out?” 

“Have’ta set it up first,” Daryl said slowly. “Could get a car by each one, have to hide it, but we’d have it ready to go. Gonna have to split up that way.”

Glenn nodded grimly. “It’s the only way. They’ll think they have the advantage that way and get cocky. Hopefully they won’t see it coming. We’ll get out while they’re still fighting walkers and go.” 

It was clear neither Rick nor Daryl liked the idea of splitting the group up, but Glenn’s plans made sense. One or two people sneaking out a small exit would be a lot more doable than the whole group.

“Plus, if we leave our cars where they can get to them, they’ll take those out first. They want us trapped.” Glenn was probably right. The Governor had already done his best to eliminate one way out. It only made sense he’d go for the others.

Going on, Glenn, Rick, and Daryl went around and around for some time, debating who would be where and doing what, trying to plan for anything and everything. They had to stay on the defensive now. More supply runs would be a liability as they could be attacked at any time, and being down even one person would cost them dearly. There was no way they would have enough ammo to go toe to toe with Woodbury forces. The only way they would have a chance was if they forced things to be on their terms.

After working out what they could, the group all came together and grudgingly agreed to their plans. It wouldn’t be easy and the wait until they finally put things into action would be a nightmare. Still, they had to come together, now more than ever just to get through. Now, it was only a matter of time.


End file.
